The White Stripes is an American rock duo, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consists of songwriter Jack White (vocals, guitar, piano, and once bass) and Meg White (drums and occasional vocals).

The White Stripes use a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding of punk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.

Gillis married local bartenderMegan Martha White on September 21, 1996.[8][9] In unorthodox fashion, he took Meg White's surname.[10] While the newly-christened Jack White continued to play in multiple bands, Meg White first began to learn to play the drums in 1997. In Jack White's words, "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing. There was something in it that opened me up".[11] The duo then became a band, calling themselves The White Stripes. They first performed publicly on July 14, 1997 at the Gold Dollar in Detroit.[12]

During the early phase of their career, Jack and Meg White provided various descriptions of their relationship. In many early interviews Jack claimed that he and Meg were siblings, [17] a claim which was widely believed and repeated despite rumors that they were, or had been, husband and wife. [18][19] In 2001, proof of their 1996 marriage emerged, [20][21] yet they continued to insist publicly that they were brother and sister. The couple were divorced in March of 2000 just before the band gained widespread attention.[22]

In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jack White claimed that this open secret was intended to keep the focus on the music rather than the couple's relationship:

When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, "Oh, I see . . ." When they're brother and sister, you go, "Oh, that's interesting." You care more about the music, not the relationship -- whether they're trying to save their relationship by being in a band. [23]

Looking back on their debut during a 2003 interview with Guitar Player, Jack White said, "I still feel we've never topped our first album. It's the most raw, the most powerful, and the most Detroit-sounding record we've made."[28]

"Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work... Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare... All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer/songwriting duos should sound this good."

At the end of 1999, The White Stripes released "Hand Springs" as a 7" split single with fellow Detroit band The Dirtbombs on the B-side. 2,000 copies came free with the pinball fanzine Multiball. The record is currently—like the majority of vinyl records by The White Stripes—out of print and difficult to find.

De Stijl (2000)

The White Stripes' second album, De Stijl (Dutch for "The Style"), was released on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label on June 20, 2000.[29] Considered a cult classic[30] and self-recorded on an 8-trackanalog tape in Jack White's living room,[31][32]De Stijl displays the simplicity of the band's blues and punk fusion prior to their breakthrough success.

White Blood Cells (2001)

The White Stripes' third album, White Blood Cells, was released on July 3, 2001 on Sympathy for the Record Industry.[36] The band enjoyed its first significant success the following year with the major labelre-release of the album on V2 Records.[37] Its stripped-down garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the UK, and in the US soon afterward, making The White Stripes one of the most acclaimed bands of 2002.[37][38]

Elephant (2003)

The White Stripes' fourth album, Elephant, was released in 2003 on V2.[46] It marked the band's major label debut and was their first UK chart-topping album, as well as their first US Top 10 album. The album eventually reached double platinum certification in Britain,[47] and platinum certification in the United States.[48]

Elephant garnered much critical acclaim upon its release.[38] It received a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating from Rolling Stone magazine, and enjoys a near-unanimous 92% positive rating on Metacritic.[50][51] Despite the band's increased fame, Allmusic believed the album "sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid, and stunning than its predecessor... Darker and more difficult than White Blood Cells."[52]Elephant was additionally notable for premiering Jack White's first formal use of guitar soloing, and Rolling Stone Magazine placed him at #17 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[53] That same year, Elephant was ranked number 390 on the magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[54]

Get Behind Me Satan was recorded in Jack White's then-Detroit home. It has garnered mixed reactions from fans, as well as critical acclaim.[57] With its reliance on piano-driven melodies and experimentation with marimba on "The Nurse" and "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)", Get Behind Me Satan downplayed the explicit blues and punk styles that dominated earlier White Stripes albums. However, despite this, Jack and Meg White were critically lauded for their "fresh, arty reinterpretations of their classic inspirations."[55] Jack White plays with different technique than in past albums, trading in his electric guitar for an acoustic on all but a few of tracks, as his trademark riff-based lead guitar style is overtaken by a predominantly rhythmic approach. Rolling Stone ranked it the third best album of the year[58] and it received the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2006.

The White Stripes postponed the Japanese leg of their world tour after Jack White strained his vocal cords, with doctors recommending that Jack not sing or talk for two weeks. After a full recovery, he returned to the stage in Auckland, New Zealand to headline the Big Day Out tour.[55] Jack subsequently relocated to Nashville, Tennessee with Elson.

In October 2006, it was announced on the official White Stripes website that there would be an album of avant-garde orchestral recordings consisting of past music written by Jack White called Aluminium. The album was made available for pre-order on November 6, 2006 to great demand from the band's fans; the LP version of the project sold out in a little under a day. The project was conceived by Richard Russell, founder of XL Recordings, who co-produced the album with Joby Talbot.[59] It was recorded between August 2005 and February 2006 at Intimate Studios in Wapping, London using an orchestra. Before the album went out of print, it was available exclusively through the Aluminium website in a numbered limited edition of 3,333 CDs with 999 LPs.[60]

On January 12, 2007, it was announced that in the process of reconstruction, V2 Records would no longer release new White Stripes material, leaving the band without a label.[61] However, the band's contract with V2 had already expired, and on February 12, 2007, it was confirmed that the band had signed a single album deal with Warner Bros. Records.[62]

Icky Thump (2007)

The White Stripes' sixth album, Icky Thump, was released in 2007 on Warner Bros. Records.[63] This was their first record with Warner Bros., since V2 closed in 2006, and it was released on a one-album contract.[64]Icky Thump entered the UK Albums Chart at number one[65] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 223,000 copies sold.[65][66] By late July, Icky Thump was certified gold in the United States. As of March 8, 2008, the album has sold 725,125 copies in the US. On February 10, 2008, the album won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

Following the mixed reception of Get Behind Me Satan, Icky Thump marked a return to the punk, garage rock and blues influences for which the band is known. It was recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studio and took almost three weeks to record — the longest of any White Stripes album to date. It would also be their first album with a title track. The album's release came on the heels of a series of concerts in Europe and one in North America.[67][68]

Prior to the album's release, three tracks were previewed to NME: "Icky Thump", "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" and "Conquest". NME described the tracks as "an experimental, heavy sounding 70's riff," "a strong, melodic love song" and "an unexpected mix of big guitars and a bold horn section," respectively.[69] On the US Billboard Charts dated May 12, 2007, "Icky Thump"—the first single—became the band's first Top 40 single, charting at #26, and later charted at #2 in the UK charts.

On April 25, 2007, the duo announced that they would embark on a tour of Canada performing in all 10 provinces, plus the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. In the words of Jack White: "Having never done a tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog. We want to take this tour to the far reaches of the Canadian landscape. From the ocean to the permafrost. The best way for us to do that is ensure that we perform in every province and territory in the country, from the Yukon to Prince Edward Island. Another special moment of this tour is the show which will occur in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on July 14, The White Stripes' Tenth Anniversary." Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac opened for the band at the Glace Bay show; earlier in 2007, MacIsaac and Jack White had discovered that they were distantly related.[70] It was also at this time that White learned he was related to Canadian fiddle player Natalie MacMaster.[71]

The White Stripes giving an impromptu show for fans on a bus in Winnipeg, MB in 2007

On September 11, 2007 the White Stripes announced the cancellation of 18 tour dates due to Meg's suffering from acute anxiety problems.[73] Following this, the duo cancelled the remainder of their 2007 tour dates including their scheduled tour of the UK.[73]

Seventh studio album and recent activity

In June 2008, at the end of a Detroit show by The Raconteurs, Meg appeared onstage—apparently fully recovered from the anxiety that forced The White Stripes to cancel tour dates the previous year—and sat down at Patrick Keeler's drum kit, as Jack introduced her by saying to the crowd, "Hey everybody, this is Meg White!"[74] as she waved at the audience. Meg then left the stage after teasing the audience, and The Raconteurs came back and played their encore.

Jack has said that The White Stripes are already working on their seventh album.[75][76] Furthermore, Jack has recently formed a group called The Dead Weather featuring himself, Jack Lawrence, Dean Fertita, and Alison Mosshart; although Jack stated the White Stripes album is top priority as of now.[77] Jack published a poem on July 6—clearing up any misconceptions about his love for his hometown of Detroit due to previous comments about the city's "negative" music scene, and his move to Nashville in 2006—in the Detroit Free Press.[78] In September 2008, Jack White slipped a disc in his neck, causing him to cancel his scheduled appearance on the MTV Europe Awards in November.[79]

In an interview with Self Titled, Jack White alluded to the creation of a White Stripes film to be released later this year. [81] In an article dated May 6, 2009 with MusicRadar.com, Jack mentioned recording songs with Meg before the Conan gig had taken place, saying, "We had recorded a couple of songs at the new studio." About a new White Stripes album, Jack said, "It won't be too far off. Maybe next year." Jack also explained Meg's acute anxiety during the Stripes' last tour, saying, "I just came from a Raconteurs tour and went right into that, so I was already full-speed. Meg had come from a dead-halt for a year and went right back into that madness. Meg is a very shy girl, a very quiet and shy person. To go full-speed from a dead-halt is overwhelming, and we had to take a break."[82]

In 2010, a Super Bowl ad by the U.S. Air Force Reserve caused The White Stripes to "take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support". The Air Force Reserve denied the song was The White Stripes and the music was scored by an advertising agency for the commercial.[83]

In an interview with contactmusic.com Jack White claims that working with The White Stripes would be "strange".[citation needed] "It would definitely be strange to go into The White Stripes again and have to rethink my game," adding "But that would be the best thing about it, because it would be a whole new White Stripes." [[3]]

Film release

The White Stripes' Under Great White Northern Lights was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2009.[84] The film, directed by Emmett Malloy, documents the band's summer 2007 tour across Canada and contains live concert and off-stage footage.[85] Jack and Meg White appeared at the premiere and made a short speech before the movie started about their love of Canada and why they chose to debut their movie in Toronto. A pre-order for a box set containing the film was announced recently on the White Stripes official site. The box set is to include; the Under Great White Northern Lights documentary, a DVD of the band's 10th anniversary show, Under Nova Scotian Lights, a 16-track live album CD, the same 16-track live album on 180-gram vinyl, a live 7" single featuring "Icky Thump" on one side and "The Wheels On The Bus" on the other, and a 208-page hardcover book of photographs from the tour and a silkscreen print.

Instruments and equipment

The White Stripes are notable for having only two musicians, limiting the instruments played live.[94] Jack, the principal writer, has said this has not been a problem, and that he "always centered the band around the number three. Everything was vocals, guitar and drums or vocals, piano and drums."[95] Early on, the band drew attention for their preference for antiquated recording equipment.

Jack White live in 2005

With few exceptions, Jack White has shown a continued partiality towards amps and pedals from the 1960s.[37] Jack uses a number of effects to create his sound, a Electro-Harmonix POG to reach pitches that would be otherwise impossible with a regular guitar.[96] For instance, without the pedal, "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button" would require a bass guitar[97] and "Black Math" would be very difficult to play without a 29th fret (which does not exist on most guitars) on the highest string.[97] When performing live, Jack White uses a Randy Parsons custom guitar, a 1964 JB Hutto Montgomery Airline, a Harmony Rocket, a 1970s Crestwood Astral II, and a 1950s Kay Hollowbody. Also, while playing live, White uses an MXR Micro-Amp, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi distortion/sustainer, and an Electro-Harmonix POG (a polyphonic octave generator). He also uses a Boss TU-2 tuner pedal. He plugs this setup into a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb, and two 100-Watt SearsSilvertone 6" x 10" combo amplifiers.[97] In addition to standard guitar tuning, Jack White also uses several open tunings.

White also plays other instruments such as a black F-Style Gibson mandolin, Rhodes bass keys, and a Steinway piano. Jack plays a custom-made red and white marimba on "The Nurse", "Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)" as well as on the non-album tracks "Who's A Big Baby" and "Top Special".

Meg White

Meg White's minimalistic drumming style is a prominent part of the band's sound. Meg has never taken a lesson. She plays Ludwig Drums with Paiste cymbals, and says her pre-show warm-up consists of "whiskey and Red Bull."[98] Jack White downplays criticisms of her style, insisting:

"I never thought 'God, I wish Neil Peart was in this band.' It's kind of funny: When people critique hip hop, they're scared to open up, for fear of being called racist. But they're not scared to open up on female musicians, out of pure sexism. Meg is the best part of this band. It never would have worked with anybody else, because it would have been too complicated... It was my doorway to playing the blues."[95]

Of her playing style, Meg White herself says:

"I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it's not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible[98] ... I just know the way [Jack] plays so well at this point that I always know kind of what he's going to do. I can always sense where he's going with things just by the mood he's in or the attitude or how the song is going. Once in a while, he throws me for a loop, but I can usually keep him where I want him."[98]

While Jack is the lead vocalist, Meg does sing lead vocals on four of the band's songs: "In the Cold, Cold Night" (from Elephant),[96] "Passive Manipulation" (from Get Behind Me Satan), "Who's a Big Baby?" (released on the "Blue Orchid" single), and "St. Andrew (This Battle is in the Air)" (from Icky Thump). She also accompanies Jack on the songs "Hotel Yorba" and "This Protector" from their album White Blood Cells, the song "Rag & Bone" from their album Icky Thump, "Rated X" and also sings alongside Jack and Holly Golightly on the song "It's True That We Love One Another", from the album Elephant.

Recording sessions and live performances

The White Stripes playing at the Big Day Out in Melbourne 2006

Several White Stripes recordings were completed rapidly. For example, Elephant was recorded in about two weeks in London's Toe Rag Studio.[38] Their 2005 follow-up, Get Behind Me Satan, was likewise recorded in just two weeks.

For live shows, The White Stripes are known for Jack's employment of heavy distortion, as well as audio feedback and overdrive. The duo performs considerably more recklessly and unstructured live, never preparing set lists for their shows, believing that planning too closely would ruin the spontaneity of their performances.[99]

Ballet production

In 2007, music by the White Stripes was used by the British choreographer Wayne McGregor for his new production Chroma, a piece he created for The Royal Ballet in London, England.[100] The orchestral arrangements for Chroma were commissioned by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings, as a gift to the White Stripes and were produced by the British classical composer Joby Talbot. Three of these songs, "The Hardest Button To Button", "Aluminium" and "Blue Orchid", were first played to the band as a surprise in Cincinnati Music Hall, Ohio. McGregor heard the orchestral versions and decided to create a ballet using the music. Talbot re-orchestrated the music for the Royal Opera House orchestra, also writing three additional pieces of his own composition. The world premiere of the ballet took place on November 16, 2006 at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The ballet subsequently won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.

In 2004, a film titled Nobody Knows How to Talk to Children was produced. Its release was suppressed by the band's management after discovering that director George Roca had been showing it at the Sundance Film Festival without permission.[101] The film chronicles The White Stripes' four-night stand at New York City's Bowery Ballroom in 2002, and contains live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. It was shot in high-contrast black, white and red, and has relatively poor sound quality. It remains a highly-prized bootleg.[102] Jack White also appeared in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story as Elvis Presley. The band also appeared as themselves on The Simpsons. Jack White is one of three guitarists featured in the 2009 documentary "It Might Get Loud", Meg White appears as well in segments that include White Stripes. The duo also appeared in Under Great White Northern Lights, a documentary about their 2007 cross country Canadian tour. [103]

Song
lyrics

I blew it
And if I knew what to do, then I'd do it
But the point that I have, I'll get to it
That forever for her is over for me
Forever
Just the word that she said that means never
To be with another together
And with the weight of a feather it tore into me.

Well strip the bark right off a tree and just hand it this
way
Don't even need a drink of water to make the headache go away
Give me a sugar pill and watch me just rattle down the street
Acetaminophen
You see the medicine
Oh girl, you have no faith in medicine.

About

The White Stripes were part of a wave of retro-minded young
bands who gave rock music a much-needed jolt in the first few years
of the 21st century, but they're less nostalgic bashers than a
brilliant conceptual creation: a divorced Detroit couple who
masqueraded as brother and sister, named themselves after their
band (or vice versa), wore alternating white-and-red outfits, and
rewired the blues for the new generation.

Their debut album was titled The White Stripes. It was released in 1999. Their second album was De Stijl. It was released in 2000. They became very famous in 2001 when they released their third album White Blood Cells. Their fourth album, Elephant, won a Grammy Award. It was released in 2003. Their fifth album, released in 2005, was titled Get Behind Me Satan. Their most recent album, Icky Thump, was released in June2007.

Jack and Meg White were married when they started the band, but have since divorced. Jack has remarried and has two children, Scarlett and Henry Lee.